Frequently Asked Questions

Q: What is Club Yahoo!
A: Club Yahoo! is a United States Volleyball Association sanctioned volleyball club for girl’s who compete competitively in local, regional and national tournaments.

Q: When is the season?
A: Teams will begin practice in late December or early January and end in early July at either the Junior National Championships or the Volleyball Festival.

Q: How much does Club Yahoo! cost?
A: The cost of Club Yahoo is $2,000 plus travel. You will receive and accounting of each trip after it is completed. Travel was approximately another $2,000 last season.

Q: Do you have any open gyms?
A: Sorry, we don't have any open gyms at this time.

Q: How often does each team practice?
A: 2–3 days per week.  This will often very from month to month depending on the frequency of tournaments, school activities/academics and family events.

Q: Where does each team practice?
A: Practices will be held at least twice a week at San Jose State. Other sites like Santa Clara University will be utilized as needed.

Q: Where do Club Yahoo! Volleyball teams play?
A: League tournaments are located throughout Central and Northern California.  Tournaments are held as far south as Fresno and as far north as Chico.  National tournaments are located in Colorado, Texas, Florida, Southern California, Washington, Maryland, Kentucky, Minnesota.

Q: Do the coaches feel that volleyball is the #1 priority for each athlete?
A: NO! Club Yahoo! wants to make it clear that family and academics are a priority over volleyball.  We expect every member to be committed, but also understand that family and academics come first.  Our philosophy is to develop the athlete as a whole person and not just a volleyball player.

Q: What is the relationship between Club Yahoo! and Yahoo! Inc?
A: Yahoo! Inc. (www.yahoo.com) is the corporate sponsor for the club.

Q: Will Yahoo! Inc.’s sponsorship jeopardize the athlete’s NCAA eligibility?
A: NO!  The NCAA has responded to Club Yahoo! in writing that this is perfectly legal and will NOT in any way effect an athlete’s amateurism, therefore maintaining their collegiate eligibility.

Q: What are the club colors?
A: Purple and Yellow.

Q: How do I contact Club Yahoo! with a question?
A: Click the Staff button at the top of the page. Send an email or contact the appropriate person.

Q: Is there a particular Club Yahoo! staff member that parents can speak to about team issues?
A: Yes, Gary Mano (ghmano@yahoo.com) of Club Yahoo! Volleyball.

Q: Who do parents contact regarding billing and payments?
A:  Gary Mano (ghmano@yahoo.com) of Club Yahoo! Volleyball.

Q: Who do parents contact regarding travel?
A:  Gary Mano

Q: Does Club Yahoo! give back to the community?
A: YES, Club Yahoo! provides numerous opportunities for the student-athletes to do community service as a team.  We feel that this is an essential part of the club experience and is in alignment with our mission statement of developing the student-athlete as a whole person rather than just a volleyball player.

Q: Where is Club Yahoo! located?
A: Club Yahoo! is located in San Jose, California.

Q. Does Club Yahoo! Volleyball plan on offering teams for boys in the future?
A. No, as of this time, Club Yahoo! Volleyball is only for girls.

Q: What are the Junior Olympics/Junior National Championships, also referred to as the J.O.’s or JNC’s?
A: The USA Volleyball Junior Olympics (Junior National Championships) is an annual indoor championship that attracts elite junior players and their families from throughout the country. This year’s event is in Salt Lake City, Utah.  Since its conception in 1980, Junior Olympic participation has grown steadily. The 1998 National Championship in Dallas, Texas attracted a record 716 teams, including 512 girls teams or approximately 7200 players. There were over 35,000 spectators for the girls’ competition (over 43,000 boys and girls) comprised of fans, parents, college coaches, staff and volunteers.  The tournament is spread over 4-5 days in several age and competition divisions.  The OPEN division is the most competitive.  The CLUB division is the second tier of competition.  Teams must qualify for this tournament through qualifying tournaments that are held throughout the regular season.  These qualifiers attract top national competition and are normally held in a convention center with 20-30 courts under one roof.  Competition is stiff as each qualifier only offers approximately 3 spots per age division.  If a team does not receive an automatic bid through a qualifying tournament, they can petition for an At-large bid.  The national committee that is in charge of At-large bids reviews each teams season record and offers At-large bids to teams they feel are the strongest that did not receive an automatic bid.

The winner of the Junior National Championship tournament is considered the national champion.  Each OPEN division has a maximum of 32 teams.  CLUB division varies from 48-64 spots.  All-American awards are awarded in each competition division for the 18's, 17's and 16's and are announced after the tournament is completed.  Teams play "pool play" (mini round robin tournaments) as they try to advance to the championship. The tournament playoff format for the championship (also known as the gold division) is an 8 team single elimination bracket. This playoff format allows for very exciting matches.  Gold, Silver and Bronze medals are given to the top 4 finishers in each age division (1 Gold – tournament winner, 1 Silver – 2^nd place finisher, 2 Bronze – each 3^rd place finisher since there is no playoff for 3^rd place the loser each tournament semi-final receives a bronze medal).